Inking apparatus for printing-presses



-(No Model.)

J. W.-OSBORNE.

INKING APPARATUS PORRPRI'NTING PRESSES.

N0.f287,569. Patented Oct. 30, 1883..

ii A *l I f I i." H N N QN I El E i .N i A WIJ' 529.52519. WWE/V204? UNrT'ED S'rnrns PATENT oFF-rer. f

JoHNw. osBoRNn, oF wAsHINGJroN, Drsmmor 0F ooLUMBrmAssrGNoR rro WILLIAM H. FORBES, on Bos'ron, MASSACHUSETTS.

vAPi'lltmfu'us son Wmme-PRESSES.

srncrncn'rio'n'iforlni pare of netter Patent No'. 287,569, me october-eo, 188e.

' n Application meu my 9. was.v (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN'WOSBORNE-a subject of the Empress of India, residing `at Washington, in the'Districtjof Columbia, have 5 invented certain new and useful Improvements chines of the class in whichthe inkjs stored..

in a fountain or trough. and .delivered to the inking-rolls in regulated quantities.

The object of my invention is to facilitate the adjustment of the local supply of ink to suit the requirements of the particular form to be printed.

Inlthe drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 shows so much of an inkfountain as is necessary to illustrate the device, with my improvement attached, as seen from the back.A Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 shows part of the fountain a 5 in plan. Fig.` 4 is a cross-section on line 1 1 of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 to 8 are front and side elevations of various'forms of plates ,which may be used. l

' 'A form of inking apparatus in very common use has the fountain-roll arranged to re volve in contact with thc body of ink in the fountain. The quantity of ink fed to the vinking-rolls is regulated by the pressureeof an elastic steel blade, which is held in'cont'act with the fountain-roll by setfscrews. When the blade bears'uniformly upon the fountainroll throughout its len'gth, the film of ink on said roll will be uniform; but any buckling or irregularity of the knife will cause an unevenness inthe feed of `ink to the different por Ations of the fountainfroll, and so on to the duck-and inking rolls. When'it is desired to localize the ink-feed on any part -of the .rolls and form, certain ofthe setscrews are -tightened or loosened,^and thusthe film of ink on the fountain-roll is increased or diminished; l but this, being done by the exure of theknife,

' d oes not cutl the 'ink 'off squarely at-any point, j. but feeds a band ,of ink tapringgradually" i garmin' thick top thifni Another objection@ this justed relatively tov the roll, so asto cut o'all form of fountain is the rapid wear of the knife or blade if the fountain-roll is made to re- K volve continuously. In my apparatus I.- prefer a vcontinuously-moving fountain-roll, because such a roll will take up a thin iil'm' of 55 ink, rather than linesor blotches. With the vroll. I prefer to use an inflexible knife of considerable thickness, which knife may be adbut a film of ink from the roll. 'The knife, beingthick, is not much'subject to wear.` This form .of vfountainis also old. Y

In the drawings, arepresentsa knife orblade of the character last referredto. This knife may be pressed toward the fountain-roll b by 65 means of set-screws d, and drawn back by setscrews e, the knife resting on the base c of the fountain. By this device alone a very eveny lm of ink may be fed tothe fountain-roll, or 'a lm which Ais thick at one end of the roll 7o and thin at the other end; but there is no provision for local variation.

To effect local distribution, so that hea bands of color may be fed only to those parts of the roll which require such excess, I arrange the knife at such distance from the roll as to give a thickness to the inklm equal to the greatest thickness of color required. To' reduce or entirely cut o the flow of ink from portions of the fountain-roll, I interpose plates f between the roll and knife in such A:manner that their edges enter the angle between the knife a' and roller b and close or nearly close the aperture. The plates f are shown to bev slotted, and are mounted on the slotted bar h, 8 5 and held thereto by thumb-screws, so that they may be'adjusted lengthwise of the bar,

aperture between the roll and knife.

vover so that the lugs j rest on stops or projections m, (see.dotted l ines', Fig. 4,) and thus g ffilling, 'cleaning-Ste. Whe' barhistnrned down, so that the plates f or be extended nearer toer farther from' the. i

The .slotted'bar h is provided' at its ends 9o When thebar h is thus lifted, it mayloe thrown' '9 5 afford convenient access tgl-.the fountain for A,

n 'contact with or proximity to the roll, the plate is held down by the swinging bolt i, which is mounted on the frame of the fountain. v

The plates f may be of any width desired,

5 and may have a variety of forms, some of which are shown in Figs. 5 to S. The edges of the blades f may be so formed as entirely to close the aperture between the knife a and roller b, or to permit the ink to pass in narrow belts, or in bands of irregular thickness.

It will be apparent that the plates f ma-y be attached to the fountain by other means than bythe bar h. rIhe mode of attachmentI have illustrated is a convenient one, but may be readily modified.

While I have described my device as attaehed to a.fountain having a continuouslyrevolving roll and an inflexible knife, such construction being desirable, as it conveys a film of ink of considerable extent to the duckroll, and the wear of the knife being unimportant, it is apparent that I may use the plates f with a fountain having a fiexiblc'knife, or one in which the fountain-roll has an inter- 'mittent movement.

1. An ink-fountain provided with fountainroll and knife, as a b, and intermediate plates v arranged, as shown, to close a portion of the 3o aperture between the knife and roll.

2. The combination, with the fountain-roll and knife of an ink-fountain, of intermediate adjustable plates arranged with relation to the knife and roll, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the fountain-roll 3,5l and knife of'an ink-fountain,- of adjustable plates, as f, arranged Ibetween the roll and knife to cut ofi' the ink-supply, said plates being mounted on a device substantially such as described, whereby all the plates may be 4o turned, back out of contact with the roll or knife, as set forth.

4. The combination, with the fountain-roll and knife. of intermediate platesadjustable, as described, with relation to said roll and 45 knife, the pivoted bar to which said plates are attached, and mechanism,substantially as described, for holding said bar and plates down in working position, as set forth.

5. The improvement in the art of supply- 5o ing i uk to the rolls of a printing-machine, which consists in shutting off the flow of ink entirelyfbetween the fountain-roll and knife for a precisely-determined distance, while permitting it to flow through other portions of the 55 length of the fountain, substantially as stated. In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JOHN W. OSBORNE. Witnesses:

J. W. HAMILTON JonNsoN, EDMoND BRoDi-IAG. 

